Why Are Additives Used In Food?

According to a survey, 55 percent of consumers admit that they don't recognize half of the ingredients in food these days! (1) This is because packaged food is often loaded with additives, many of which have chemical or scientific names. Although the amount of additives in our food is getting a bit out of hand (more than 6,000 are approved for use in the food industry), using ingredients to improve or enhance food has been the norm for centuries. Our ancestors used salts to preserve meat and sugar to preserve fruit. Spices and herbs were used for flavoring, and vegetables were fermented or pickled so they could be eaten during colder seasons. (2)

Additives are used in packaged foods for a variety of reasons. Although some have harmful side effects and are best avoided, food manufacturers aren’t putting these things in your food specifically to make you sick. Here are a few reasons why you might see an additive on a label:

To keep food fresh 

Preservatives prevent yeasts, molds, and bacteria from eating the food before you do. Antioxidants prevent fats and oils and the foods that contain them from becoming rancid.

To boost nutritional value

Processing robs natural foods of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, so many foods are enriched or fortified to either replace lost nutrients or to add extra nutrients that food manufacturers think consumers may want (for example, omega-3 or extra fiber).

To make a product taste better 

Spices, natural flavors, artificial flavors, and sweeteners (both real and artificial) are used to enhance the taste of food. These additives can be innocent, like cinnamon, or harmful, like MSG.

To make the product more appealing 

Food color helps to improve the appearance of the food, or maintain its appearance after the food is past its prime.

To give food texture

Emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners give products a texture that consumers expect.

Many additives (both artificial and natural) are on the Food and Drug Administration’s GRAS list (Generally Recognized as Safe)—which means they’re considered safe for human consumption until proven otherwise. While it`s sometimes difficult to find information about certain chemical additives (or to understand the information without a background in chemistry), if a food you frequently eat contains additives, look the ingredients up on the Centre for Science in the Public Interest’s Safety Summary: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm.

References:

1. http://www.citizens.org/?p=2238

2. http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Food_Ingredients_Colors